Sewing-machine ruffler



March 25, 1930. LAWTQN ET AL 1,752,096

SEWING MACHINE RUFFLER Filed May 23, 1928 Patented Mar. 25, 1930 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE HARRIS A. LAWTON AND ANDREW J. CARMICHAEL, OF NEWHAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNORS TO THE GREIST MANUFACTURING COMPANY, ACORPORATION OF CON SEWING-MACHINE RUFFLER Application filed May 23,

This invention relates to that class of sewing machine rufliers,generally known as five-stitch ruiilers, in that they have heretoforeusually been constructed to make a ruflle at each stitch of the sewingmachine, or at each five, or a greater or lesser number of stitches; andthe invention has for its object to provide arufiier of the classreferred to in which the adjustment from one class of work to the othermay be readily and easily effected. The invention is adapted for use ina rulfler provided with a single ratchet wheel constructed with deep andshallow notches,

by which the intervals of the strokes of the ruliling blade may becontrolled, or with two ratchet wheels mounted on the same pivot pin andconstructed with a plurality ofdeep notches andone of which ratchetwheels is other position occupied by the adjustable ratchet wheel only asingle deep notch of the adjustable wheel will be in registerwith a Ideep notch'of the other wheel; so thatastroke of the rufliing blade willoccur only at each ten or twelve or any other desired number of stitchesof the sewing machine. The improved rufii'er is also so constructedthat, by

"proper adjustment, a rufliing stroke will be imparted to the rufiiingblade at each stitch of the sewing machineyor the rufilingblade 'may bethrown out of action entirely when plain sewing is to be done.

The present invention relates more particularly to'the means foroperating the ratchet wheels by the use of two pawls, one of which isfixed relative, to a pawl carrier, and the i other of which isadjustable on said carrier,

so that said adjustable pawl may be readily thrown out of operation whenthe rufiiing blade is to make a stroke at each stitch of the sewingmachine.

In the accompanying drawing Figs; 1 an 1928. Serial No. 280,036.

2 are opposite side views of a ruflier embodying the present invention.Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same; Fig. 4 is a detail view of the pawlsand some adjacent parts, and Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are detail views of theratchet wheels.

Referring to the drawing, 12 denotes the frame of the rufller provided,as usual, with a forked forward end 13, to adapt the same for attachmentto the presser bar of a sewing machine. Mounted on the frame 12, by apin or rivet 14, is the main operating lever 15 forked at its forwardend for engagement with a pin or screw carried by the needle bar of asewing machine; and, fulcrumed on the pin or rivet 14, is a pendulouslever 16 jointed at its lower end to the rufiiing blade carrier 17 towhich latter is attached the ruffling blade 17. The pendulous lever 16is provided with an arm 16* positioned beneath a contact screw 18carried by the operating lever 15, said screw being frictionallyretained in any desired position of adjustment by a spring 19 mounted onsaid operating lever 15.

Mounted on the pin 14 are two ratchet wheels 23 and 24, adjacent orcontiguous to each other. The outer ratchet wheel 23 is provided withthree deep notches 23 and 23", the periphery of saidwheel being shown asplain between said notches. The ratchet wheel 24 is provided with twodeep notches 24 and with a plurality of shallow notches 24 between eachof said deep notches. In the construction shown there are five of theseshallow notches between said deep notches, thus providing for a strokeof the ruflling blade at each six stitches of the sewing machine,although it will be understood that said ratchet wheel might beconstructed with a greater or lesser number of these shallow notchesbetween each of the deep notches 24 The ratchet wheels 23 and 24 may beheld in frictional engagement with each other, so

ESQ

hit-5 enter the inner part of a deep notch 24" of the ratchet wheel 24,so as to hold the ratchet wheel 23 in either of these positions ofadjustment. The ratchet wheel 23 is provided with an outwardly extendingpin or pins 21 for convenience in adjusting said wheel circularlyrelative to the ratchet wheeli24a This feature of the two ratchetwheelscontaining deep and shallow notches, and one of whichis circularlyadjustable relative "tothe other is, however, not-herein-claimedbroadly, as this feature is described and claimed in the application ofHugo Maashoif'and George-W. Pratt, filed May 7, 1928,:Serial N02,75,714.

The pendulous lever 16' is provided with shoulder il6 i ladapted to be Iengaged,- by a p awl 26 integral with aspringepressedpawlcarrier ;27mounted v onthe -t-main operating -.lever 'l5-a11d arranged toengage the-{shoulder lffi t-on the pendulousilever L6 when desired.

The pawl carrier 27 is provided with legs 27 .in which, is rotatively{mounted "bar 28 having at its forward end an integral; pawl 29, saidbar being square or of polygonal form in cross section sothat aspringfinger 29 bearing against a flatpart ofsaid-bar, will hold saidpartially rotatableabar indifferent positions to .whichit may be turned.Thev spring fingerv is preferably anextension of the usualtorsion-alaspring iby which-the pawl carrier 27. is yieldingly;pressedtowards the ratchet wheels. The bar 28 is;provided with a milled head:30 Q by which it may vbe readily turned from the position shown TlIl@Fig. 1 to the positionshowntin ,Fi-gsi3 and 4:, orvice versa. 7

The pawl bar 28 is rot-atively mountedin an -appr,oximately horizontalaxis, in the lugs 27 of the pawl-carrier v27 soythatr in its oper- ,1ative position the pawl 29 on said pawl bar is approximately horizontal,a-s shown; in Fig.

1;,but when said bar is given quarter turn said pawl 29 will beinaverticalposition as shown in Figs. 3 and 4t, and willbeout of.registerlaterally with the ratchet wheelsand will thusbe inoperative. 1

,When the ratchetwheel23, is. in thepos'ition of adjustment shown in ;1the deep notches-23 of said ratchet wheel -.-Wlllib in a register vwiththe ,two deepfnotches 249st the ratchet wheel: 24:, and thus, with theratchet wheels constructed as herein shown the said "pawl29 will fallintosaid deepinotchesQ3 and 24, and willthns permit the :pawl :26

-, to ellg' igethesaid shoulder 16",,onthe pendns i lous lever ateachksi; stitchesrof the sewing c :machine, so aszzto operate-the said,pendulous lever. andimpart. a forward movementto the truflngubladecarrier ,and the rufilng blade .affixedflthereto, the:said pawl 26,bfiillfg (held out of; engagement with the-SaidshQUlderlB",atiotherftime's. Thisis in -tothe that, excepting when the pawl- 29isiniitshinonen ,ativlepesiticmerieinthedeenne ehestdtthe fratchet,wbels theespringpressed nawli wheel 23, and thus the pawl 29will, in the.

rotation "ofthesaid ratchet wheel-s,*--fall--into the saidregistering-deep *notches' 23 and 241; to enable the pawl'26 to impart'-a forward *stroke-to-the rufliing blade, at each twelve vstitches; saidpawl being held out of said engagement with-the said shoulder 16 durtingthe. formation iQf'GIGVGIkSt-ltGhBS,

Whenia rufileis to be made, at eachistitchof the: sewing machinethe-adjustable ,pawl'z29 will be turnedtothe ,positionshown inQFigs. 43rand 4, thus throwing git 5 out of operation and permitting .the, fixedpawlj26 to 1 engage e the shoulder 16 on rthe pendulous :lever. 4 l6.When, however, the irufllerg-is to} be t thrown V vout. of operation,for plain sewing, the E pawl carrier 27 will be withdrawn to Ltheposition as I Fromthe foregoing it .willi'be understood 7 that theinvention provides simple means whereby a ruflier is adapted to :make ,a:ruf- :fling" stroke 1 at .each stitch ofca sewing machine, or betweenvany desired number of. a plurality offstitehes, or maybe thrown out ofoperation altogetherwhen plainisew-ing istobe'done. a 7' V Having thusdescribedhour inventionlwe ,claim and desire,to;securedqylLettersPatent:

, 1. In a .sewing machine erniflierytheecombination with. an.openating"lever, a pendu-lons ,lever havinga shoulder,-,and a;rnfliingblade -operatively connected with saidlpendulons' lever, of aratchet wheel vhavingedeep ,and

shallow notches, a pawl-carrier pivotally mounted ,onsaid,operatiiiglever a pawlifixed' 1 relative to said pawl-carrierandaan.,adj.ustable pawl -.carried by :aw pawl bar motatively ,mountedon ,said pawl carrier, ;.so that iby sgiving saidbarna. quarter,turn-said pawl will "be out of'register, Ylaterally withasaid,ratchetwheel. 1 2 In la s wingmachii e l fienetheimmbi :nation with annperating leverya penduleus lever,having ashoulder,randeaeriifilingmlade voperative ly yeonneeted with enets-e15le e of a-iratchet wheelihaiiingideeptand eshallow notch s, apawl-carrier ,pi-retally amountedi n aid qnerati gilever and1 a d andadjustable pawls meuntedinn said;

1earrier saidmawleeerrieribavingilw,a a

rotatably mounted in said lugs and relative to which bar said adjustablepawl is fixed, and means for holding said bar in different positions ofadjustment.

In testimony whereof we aifix our signatures.

HARRIS A. LAWTON. ANDREW J GARMICHAEL.

